This invention relates generally to water craft, and more particularly to a boat having an upper or sun deck with unique structural features which permit both convenient movement and comfortable seating of passgengers thereon.
The roof of the usual houseboat or similar water craft serves simply as an enclosure or cover for the cabin. In some instances, the roof is formed to serve as an upper or sun deck on which passengers may recline for sunning or place chairs and/or tables for use in fishing, playing cards, conversing, and the like. United States Design Patent Nos. 202,150; 223,219; 227,509 and 235,320 are representative of a number of prior boat structures having such sun decks.
While these previous sun deck structures have proven desirable to the extent of providing more usable area on a boat, at the same time they have generated certain problems. For instance, chairs and tables must be carried back and forth between the cabin and sun deck should the passengers wish to sit comfortably while fishing, playing cards, conversing, etc. Such movement of furniture is not only inconvenient and potentially dangerous, particularly in the case of a small child or relatively weak person, but can lead to loss of furniture overboard as well as bunps and nicks on both the furniture and boat furnishings. Further, tables, chairs and similar loose deck furniture are subject to unexpected and dangerous sliding and tipping should the deck tilt to any great extent as a result of the action of wind gusts, waves or other similar forces on the boat.
Boats having an upper deck cockpit area with fixed or integral seats have been provided, as illustrated in a brochure published in 1969 by Trojan Yachts, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, entitled "The 1970 Trojan 34' Houseboat." In such boats, however, the cockpit obviously has no provision for an integral "table" surface. And the sun deck, per se, would still require the use of separate tables and chairs should passengers wish to sit comfortable thereon while fishing, card playing, conversing, etc.
Accordingly, while past developments in the boating field have provided cabin enclosures or covers which not only serve as sun decks but include fixed cockpit seating, such developments have not succeeded in eliminating the need for or dangers inherent in using separate furniture on such decks or the inconveniences attendent to the handling of such furniture.